It was after seeing too much death, that Sherif Targi (21) decided to leave Libya for Europe.
‘I saw murder and carnage because of the conflict between Tuaregs and the Tebu [ethnic minorities], “he says.
Targi is a Tuareg from the desert city of Ubari in southwestern Libya. Under Muammar Gaddafi, Tuareg people were marginalized – not issued government IDs, and confined to jobs and public services. Things did not improve after the dictator was expelled.
In October 2019, Targi left home and traveled more than 1,000 km to the coastal city of Zuwara. From there, he and about 200 other people, mostly Syrians, Moroccans and Sudanese, crammed themselves aboard an overloaded wooden boat and set off on a dangerous 18-hour voyage.
A decade after Libya’s revolution, an increasing number of people are embarking on the dangerous journey by boat from Libya. At the end of December, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) registered 386 Libyans who arrived in Italy by sea in 2020, almost double the number who arrived in 2019. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has recorded a 52% increase in Libyans living in Europe, compared to 2019.
Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the IOM, says the increase in numbers is significant as it changes Libya’s position on the migration chain. “Libya has always been a transit country for migrants.”
Central medical route
A weak economy further paralyzed by the coronavirus pandemic is helping to fuel the exodus.
‘The pandemic has hit the economy hard and led to a reduction in oil and gas exports. “There are also problems for Libyans to withdraw their pensions, and there is a huge increase in youth unemployment,” said Vincent Cochetel, the UNHCR’s special envoy for the western and central Mediterranean.
Border closures and restricted movements due to the closure of Covid-19 have affected people’s ability to earn, he says. “They were dependent on border trade and smuggled things like cigarettes and fuel to get by.”
Cochetel predicts a steady increase in Libyans leaving the country in 2021 unless the economy improves. “Libyans tend to stay in their country, even as displaced persons, or to seek help from family members in Tunisia or Egypt,” he says. “But the socio-economic impact of the recent devaluation of the Libyan dinar must be monitored.”
Corruption and security fears are also becoming pressure factors for Libyans.
Mousa Algunaidi, of the Nedaa Organization for Human Rights and Community Development, in Misrata, says corruption in the various state apparatuses in Libya – divided between two rival governments based in Tripoli and Benghazi – impedes basic services such as electricity supply and has eroded Libyans. ‘confidence in the state.
He adds: ‘There are many security fears for Libyans in cities like Tripoli, Sirt and cities in the south like Murzuq. There are also rapidly rising prices and inflation, with banks and the finance ministry limiting cash withdrawals to 500 to 1,000 Libyan dinars. [£280–£560]. ”
Algunaidi believes that there is hope for Libya if all parties abide by the comprehensive peace agreement signed in October by the country’s two warring governments. But Libya’s defense minister has already threatened to withdraw from the deal.
“If there is a complete political agreement and elections and a new constitution is created, the peace agreement will benefit us. This will definitely reduce the number of Libyans leaving by sea. It can even stop emigration completely. But if there is a new conflict like we saw in 2019, we will see the shore full of Libyans, ‘he says.
After hours at sea, an Italian coastguard picked up Targi’s boat and eventually reached Italy. “There was nothing more difficult than this journey. The boat was old. We were overloaded, at sea for two days. The car was weak. If the coastguard had not found us, we would have died, ”he says.
After being smuggled to France, Targi took a train to Belgium, where he was stored on a truck to the United Kingdom. He came across the canal and settled in London, where he is now studying science at the university.
Friends in Ubari say the city has gone from worse to worse. Targi’s childhood friend, Mahmoud Twareg *, says it remains a place of suffocated opportunities and danger.
‘The schools are in a bad state without enough teachers. Hospitals do not have enough staff and functioning equipment, ”says Twareg. “Safety is lacking. There are armed groups and gangs everywhere.
“The peace agreement does not improve things in Ubari at all. Nothing has changed. The forces of [warlord general Khalifa] Haftar even came back. ”
Targi believes that even if the agreement is elsewhere in Libya, and the country puts the war behind it, his life will remain far from home. “I want to complete my studies. I do not expect life in Ubari to improve. So I will not be going back anytime soon. ”
* Names have been changed
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